Invalid&#39;s bed



Oct. 4, 1949.

M. D. BEEM INVALIDS BED Filed Oct. l5, 1945 Patented Oct. 4, 1949 UNITED-*STATES PATENT OFF-ICI:

Marvel D. Beem, West Los Angeles, Calif., as-

signor of one-half to The Beem Foundation, Los Angeles, Calif., a charitable trust of California Application lOctober 15, 1945, Serial No. 622,388

Y 31Claims`. (Cl.` 5490) This invention relates Ito` invalids beds vand has as its general object to provide a bed having a fiushable toilet constantly available to the occupant of the bed.

The inventioncontemplates an arrangement embodying an articulatedmattress supporting frame having a thigh or seat section and a leg rest and back rest hinged to respective ends of said thigh or seat section, together with mechanism for elevating the sections to form a reclining seat over the toilet bowl. A specific object is to provide, in such an arrangement, a toilet bowl that is always in the proper relation to the thigh section o f the mattress supporting frame, irrespective of the degree of inclination.

A further object is to provide an invalids bed incorporating a toilet bowl that is adapted to assume at all timestheV angle of inclination of the thigh sectionof the mattress supporting frame, and that is connected to a fixed sewer outlet by a iiexible waste pipe that permits it to assume various angles of inclination. v

A further object of the invention is to. provide an invalids bed having means to form a step to assist a patient-in ascending on to and descending from the bed. Another object is to provide an invalids bed incorporating such alstep which has the additional function of providing a foot rest forV the toilet seat portion of the bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an invalids bedincorporating a foot rest which normally formsl a part of the horizontal supporting portion of the' bed and is automatically lowered to a foot rest or step position when the mattress supporting frame ofthe bed is elevated to a reclining seat position.

Another object of the invention will appear from a perusal of the ensuing specification vwhen read in connection with theappended drawings,

in which: i "m Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bed embodying the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bed taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

As an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, I have shown in the drawings an invalids bed embodying a head portion Ill, a foot portion II, and longitudinal rails I2 rigidly connecting the head and foot portion I and II together to form a iixed frame. Above the frame I2 is the mattress supporting frame which includes a back rest I3, a thigh section I4, a leg section I5, a foot rest or step section I6. The back rest I3 and thigh section I4 are transverse hinge I'I. The thigh section I4 and leg rest I5 are hinged toeach other at I8 to forma knee joint which is adapted to be elevated by suitable elevating mechanism which is indicated in dotted lines at I9. The back rest I3 is adapted to be elevated by elevating mechanism indicated generally at 26. The foot rest or step section I 6 is hinged at 2| to the leg rest I5.

The leg rest AI5 has a combined pivotal and sliding connection withvthe lixed frame rails I2, such connection including pins 224 mounted in the rails I2 and guide slots 22a in the side frame members of the leg rest I5,I the pins 22 being received inthe 'slots 2 2a.

The end .of the step (I6 opposite the hinges 2| is pivoted at 23`to` links 24, fthe other ends of which are'piv'ote'dV at 25'to the frame rails I2.

The backrest I3', thighsection I4, leg rest I5 and step section I6 cooperate to form a toilet seat unit which is adapted to be moved from a normally horizontal position indicated in dotted lines at A to the `seat forming positions .shown in full lines in Fig. 2. As the. thighsection is raised the leg rest will slidefupwardly and tilt about the pivot pins `22,* the foot end of the leg rest swingingv downwardly so as'to move the step section I6 to a plane considerably below the plane of the normal horizontal position'A. This lowering movement c f the step section I6 is a downward and rearwardswinging movement, the links 24 swinging vabout the `pivots 25 and supporting the step section in a horiz'ont'al position when the limit of the downward swinging movement is reached.

' A toilet bowl 26is Igidlyattached .to and suspended beneath the thigh section I4. The thigh section is in theformof an open frame, providing an'opening through .which the mouth portion 210i the toilet bowl'projects. A mattress, indicated in broken lines at 28, is supported upon the sections I3, I4, I5, and I6 and has an opening 29 that registers with the mouth 21.

The outlet 32 of the toilet bowl 26 is connected through a flexible drain pipe 3i to a xed sewer outlet forming part of the plumbing of the hospital in which the bed in installed. The flexible pipe 3l forms a iiushing outlet for the toilet bowl and permits the bowl to freely follow the movements of the thigh section I4.

Being rigidly attached to the thigh section I4, the bowl 26 is constantly in the proper position for use, irrespective of the elevation of the thigh section. The mouth 21 projects upwardly to a hinged to the fixed frame I2 on a horizontal 55 plane intermediate the top and bottom of the mattress 28. The position of this plane is selected so that the yielding of the mattress under the weight of the patient, Will permit the body of the patient to come into full contact with the mouth 2l. The mattress is preferably of sponge rubber, in order to bend freely at the hinges of the supporting frame.

The toilet seat unit of the bed is a narrow section, as shown in Fig. 1, and is disposed at one side of the bed, the remaining area of the bed being covered by main mattress supporting frame which includes a back rest 33, a thigh section 3G, and a leg rest 35. These three sections are hinged to each other and' to the fixed frame structure oi the bed in the same manner as the f sections of the toilet seat unit. IThe lift mechanism operates against the main section in the same manner as it operates the toilet seat unit.

This lift mechanism may comprise a series "of 'n arms mounted on shafts 3S journalled in the the toilet seat from the floor by using the foot ."i

rest IS as a step. A bed-ridden patient will of course slide laterally from the main portion of the bed on to the toilet seat.

The invention has the advantage of providing for constant association of the toilet bowl with the thigh section of the toilet seat in the proper position for use. It is contemplated that a suitable cover for the opening 29 in the mattress 28, will be provided, so that when the toilet is not in action the top of the toilet seat unit may present an unbroken appearance. Any suitable cover mechanism may be embodied for this purpose.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a bed, in combination with a'xed frame structure, a mattress frame comprising a back rest and a thigh section conjointly hinged to said fixed frame structure, a leg rest hinged at one end to said thigh section to form a knee joint, and a step section hinged at one end to the other end of said leg rest, a combined sliding and hinging connection between said leg rest and said xed frame structure adapted, in response to upward swinging movement of said knee joint from a 4 tion below the normal plane of said mattress frame, and means linking the other end of said step section to the fixed frame structure and cooperating with said other end of the leg rest to guide said step section to a lowered position in which it is substantially horizontal.

2. A bed as dened in claim 1, wherein said linking means is pivoted at one end to said other end of the step 'section and at its other end to the fixed frame on an axis disposed headward from the position of said other end of the step section in the normal horizontal position of the mattress frame.

3. In a bed, in combination with a xed frame structure, a mattress frame comprising a relatively wide main bed portion and a relatively narrow toilet seat portion, said toilet seat portion including a back rest and a thigh section conjointly hinged to said fixed frame structure, a leg rest hinged at one end-to said thigh section to form a knee joint that may be elevated, a step section hinged at one end to the other end of said leg rest, a combined sliding and hinging connection between an intermediate portion of said leg rest and said xed frame structure adapted,

inresponse to elevating movement of said knee joint, to guide said leg rest in a combined pivotal and translational movement in which its end adjacent said knee joint swings upwardly and its other end moves downwardly so as to shift said step section downwardly, and means linking the other end of said step section to said xed frame structure to guide said step section downwardly to a loweredV position in which it is substantially horizontal, said step section in its lowered posi- 'tion functioning as a foot rest for said toilet seat portion and also as a step to facilitate a patients ascent into or descent from the bed.

MARVEL D. BEEM.

REFERENCES CI'IEB The following references are of record in the le of this patent: n

UNITED lSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,604 Engel May 12, 1840 7,131 Barker Mar. 5, 1850 274,392 Sargent Mar. 20, 1883 609,819 Lawrence Aug. 30, 1898 819,241 Moore May 1, 1905 1,528,835 McCullough Mar. 10, 1925 1,869,036 Zink July 26, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,484 'Great Britain 1895 21,074 vGreat Britain 1911 389,369 Germany Feb. 8, 1924 

